


a life that never came (or did it?)

by LilibethSonar



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Crack, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Microfic, Minor Rose Tico/Jannah, Psychological Trauma, References to Depression, Rey Skywalker, cloning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23767864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilibethSonar/pseuds/LilibethSonar
Summary: Rey misses lazy mornings most. Waking up slowly in Ben's arms, then dozing on his chest as sweat cools on their bare skin. Watching the sun trickle over the hills' green backs like honey until it's fully light. Rey misses it all. The life that never came.___All microfics I wrote for the #reylomicrofic challenge on twitter.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	a life that never came (or did it?)

**Author's Note:**

> I'd say the first half is pretty heavy. There's a bit of crack here and there, but it's mostly dark at first because I was working through my grief by writing these. Proceed carefully. Entries get lighter and happier later on. I tried to tag extensively but please let me know if I missed something. The full list of promts is [here](https://twitter.com/rlogarbagech1/status/1234304286353321985).

1\. Rey Skywalker wasn't bound by blood. Free of her ancestors' darkness, she carved her own pathway. Painted it red, let it flow through the dunes, long and just, paved with scorched bones, and melted armor, and cries for mercy.

*

2\. The pain yielded and dissolved. The Force embraced him and carried him away, away from the neverending war, towards his mother's loving arms and his father's smile. At last, Ben was home.

*

3\. Rey stares at colorful circles covering her stomach. As they dry, they peel off her skin and slide onto the sheets, perfectly round. When she finally looks up, Ben doesn't meet her eyes. "You..." Rey gestures vaguely towards his crotch. "...with confetti?"

*

4\. Luke's translucent form is barely visible under the desert sun's punishing glare. Rey doesn't look at him; her eyes are on the reddening beam of her lightsaber. "You don't know what you're doing," the ghost whispers. There's no answer. It's not Rey anymore.

*

5\. Villagers were happy to show the ruins to the Jedi; she said she'd start a training Temple there, and they were flattered by her choosing the place, be it all gray stone and moss. But no students ever came. She lived alone, hiding like a wounded animal.

*

6\. The cloning tank Rey scavenged on Exegol was a step above junk but it would have to do. And everything was perfect at first but...the tank was too old. Not quite stable. Molecules shifted at one point and when Rey noticed, it was too late. Ben's clone had a dick-shaped nose.

*

7\. Something's calling for Rey from the bottom of the sea. Her measly ship hovering just out of the waves' hungry reach, she beakons it to her, and in a flash the Force places a red kyber onto Rey's open palm. Her aching heart knows this crystal; it wanted to be found. But why?

*

8\. Rey misses lazy mornings most. Waking up slowly in Ben's arms, then dozing on his chest as sweat cools on their bare skin. Watching the sun trickle over the hills' green backs like honey until it's fully light. Rey misses it all. The life that never came.

*

9\. The encrypted message contains coordinates, a demand she come alone, and no signature. Rey would erase it like she did countless other obvious bates set out by opportunistic idiots who caught wind of her search but... There's something else. Pre-decoding, it reads "between."

*

10\. "You are my creation," the ghoulish man before her growls, froth on his lips, "so bow to my will!" Rey grits her teeth. "Never. I'll never bow. You'll never have me... J.J."

*

11\. Ben couldn't remember what city it was or how he got there; the memory slid away from him, a vaguely familiar shape in the mist. And that mist. So thick, cocooning skyscrapers like an enormous cobweb. Filling Ben's head. If only he could find a way out of it.

*

12\. "Not. A. Word," Ben grits out, blushing furiously; combined with the layer of spray tan, the red spots blooming on his neck and cheeks make him look like a disgruntled blood orange. Rey bites her lips, shaking. "I'll kill Poe," Ben mutters under his breath.

*

13\. Ben's lips descended on her neck but as sweet as the sensation was, Rey had to firmly put her hands on his obnoxiously wide shoulders. She shook her head. "What's wrong?" He looked up, concerned. "Not to plagiarize ideas, but we're nearing the character lim-

*

14\. She traveled the galaxy up and down, saw every green planet, and lived on at least ten of those - but never for long. None felt right, and after awhile, Rey stopped trying to settle. They say home is where the heart is, and her heart wasn't with her anymore.

*

15\. "I told you from the start, I wasn't going to watch this wretched cycle repeat! It's agony and against everything I stand for!" "Rey, I'm not mad but whites and reds are washed separately for a reason. Now if you'd give me a hand with hanging my pink shirts..."

*

16\. Alone, Rey presses her back against the door. Flushed red, feverish, heart racing. What she feels for Ben is...too much. Is it real or is she so starved for affection mere drops of it go to her head? She'll have to quarantine these feelings until she's safe.

*

17\. Under green neon lights, Rey looks like a ghost - too pale, shadows around her eyes too dark. What gives Ben pause is that she's looking at him like she's just seen one. A ghost. He starts pushing towards her on the dancefloor. Time to come back from the dead.

*

18\. BB8 screeches in Binary - a desperate call for her to look out - before he's knocked out with a bolt of electricity. Rey ducks just in time and brings her lightsaber back in a swinging arc, sending D-O's head flying, the lazer barrel hidden inside it still hot.

*

19\. The last thing he was aware of before it all faded away was Rey's hand gripping his...or so he thought. Just as his body started to drift off into the Force, Ben saw it. Rey's face as she watched him die. It jolted him alive.

*

20\. Ben's mind was swimming in the soft light, rocked gently by invisible waves. The calm of it felt welcoming and, eternal. But even the eternity passed. The waves carried him back to the shore. Ben opened his eyes.

*

21\. She's checking her phone so frequently, it gets all sticky. About to cry, Rey cleans it with the edge of her t-shirt, then rubs her palms against her jeans. She's just texted Ben she loves him, and he left it on "read." (Ben dropped his phone. He's running.)

*

22\. "Rigmarole?" The girl glared at Ben over her textbook. "Da fuck is that?" "Gibberish." She rolled her eyes. "Damn right it is. Speak normally, would ya? You're not tutoring me for the tea with the Emperor." Rude. Cute. Ben nodded, face hot. He was in trouble.

*

23\. The smell of sage tea makes Rey's nose itch. Before she can move the cup away from her face or at least hold her breath, a mighty sneeze tears through her, spraying her date with tea and...yeah, let's say it's just tea. Strangely, he doesn't seem put off by it.

*

24\. Rey watches the police car drive away with Ben on the backseat, handcuffed. He was at the top of a financial pyramid. Dating him to expose the scheme was the right thing to do. He'll get away, granted, but he won't hurt anyone again. This is fine. Rey is fine.

*

25\. Ben was never the same after the...incident with Luke. Doctors said the trauma affected his cognitive abilities, put a block of sorts on processing abstractions. His intellect remained intact but some things - like love - he just couldn't grasp. Until Rey.

*

26\. After their first meeting, his face needed stitches. Here, now, the feeling of her fingertips tracing the scar that bisects his cheek is surreal in the best way. Ben hides his smile in Rey's palm, besotted.

*

27\. "Babe, stop snooping," Rose tried to snatch binoculars from her girlfriend's hands but Jannah ducked out of reach, keeping her eyes on their neighbors' cabin. "I'm not snooping, I'm worried. Why are their windows all steamed up?" Rose snorted. Ah, quarantine.

*

28-29. He flings the headphones across the room; they hit the wall just as Rey enters the studio. She startles. "What are these tropic passions about?" Ben was ready to throw the violin, too, but Rey's presence is soothing him already. "It's garbage," he sighs.

*

30\. "Alright, team, look alive! The client's logging in 5 minutes... Wait. Ben, there's no video from you. You on?" "S-sorry, Poe, the connection is shit today. I am. Online. Very much." Rey muffled her giggles against Ben's thigh. Oh, he was online all right.

*

31\. "I'm taking forever, I know." Rey hummed, shaking her head no ever so slightly. "Good thing I'm not in a hurry." Ben chuckled and pinned the last three braids in place, every knot a promise. Love, gratitude, unity, future. Forever.


End file.
